Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 160

King County Metro route 160 travels inbound from Auburn Transit Center to Renton Transit Center, via Kent and Benson Hill. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In January 2025, Route 160 had 5,050 average weekday boardings.

Route 160 map from King County MetroAverage Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing Route 70.

Average Weekday Ridership per Route 160 Trip: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward Renton Transit Center; Outbound" is toward Auburn Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

Route 160 provides a last mile connection between various neighborhoods and Sounder Stations, while also serving all-day trips in Auburn, Kent, and Renton. Some observations:

• Route 160's southern terminus, Auburn Transit Center (inbound)/ 2nd St SW & A St SW (outbound), is a strong trip generator. The transit center is conveniently located near several mid-rise apartment buildings and next to Auburn Sounder Station. The average Route 160 trip either picks up or drops off 5-10 passengers. Inbound trips pick up the most passengers per trip in the evening, while outbound trips drop off the most passengers per trip in the afternoon. Auburn Station/Transit Center is a Park & Ride facility with 633 spaces. It also serves Metro routes 181, 184, 915, 917; Sound Transit routes 566, 578; Sounder S Line; and Pierce Transit Route 497.
• Between 8th St NE and 28th St NE, Auburn Way N is populated by big-box retail, strip malls, and auto repair shops. Stops along this segment have consistent use throughout the day with a few riders boarding and alighting every trip at each stop. I St NE runs parallel to Auburn Way one block to the east and has lots of garden apartment buildings, multi-family housing units, and some single-family houses. Some Route 160 riders are likely traveling to/from this residential area.
• North of 28th St NE, the land use adjacent to Auburn Way shifts to almost exclusively car dealerships and auto repair shops. Unsurprisingly, boarding and alighting counts are lower along this segment.
• The stop at Auburn Way & 45th St is adjacent to a few mid-rise apartment housing developments. Outbound trips in the morning see a noticeable increase in passengers boarding. Inbound afternoon and evening trips see a corresponding increase in passengers alighting. Some residents of these apartments may use Route 160 as a connection to Sounder.
• Auburn Way continues north into Kent as Central Ave S. The land use adjacent to Central Ave is primarily industrial. The stops at 259th St and 262nd are near a few apartment buildings and residential neighborhoods. These stops have higher ridership than the adjacent stops, primarily with passengers boarding inbound trips and alighting outbound trips.
• Route 160 stops at Central Ave & Meeker St. This stop provides convenient access to shops and restaurants in the southeastern part of downtown Kent. Passengers at this stop primarily board outbound trips and alight inbound trips.
• Kent Sounder Station is the busiest stop on the route. Route 160 trips in both directions pick up and drop off 5-10 passengers. This stop is close to Kent Station shopping center, several apartment buildings, and Mill Creek Middle School. In addition to serving Sounder S Line, Kent Station is a Park & Ride with 996 spaces and serves Metro routes 150, 153, 161, 162, 165, 168, 183, and Sound Transit Route 566.
• East of Kent Station, Route 160 stops between Kent - Meridian High School and several shopping centers at 256th St & 101st Ave. While this stop is busy in both directions all day, there is a noticeable spike in passengers departing morning inbound trips. This suggests some students use Route 160 to get to school.
• The adjacent stop at 104th Ave & 253rd Pl is also well used. Inbound trips primarily pick up passengers while outbound trips primarily drop off passengers. This stop is surrounded by a shopping center and restaurants.
• Further north on 104th Ave, Route 160's stop at SE 240th St is adjacent to several big-box retail stores and strip malls. Trips in both directions drop off and pick up a few passengers here, primarily in the mid-day, afternoon, and evening. This stop also provides an easy transfer to Route 165 (soon to be Route 164).
• Between 240th St and 208th St, the land along 104th Ave/108th Ave almost exclusively consists of single family housing. Unsurprisingly, stop use along this segment is minimal. These stops are busiest in the evening as inbound trips drop off a passenger or two at each stop.
• At 108th Ave & 208th St, the Route 160 stop is located in the middle of several strip malls and near a grocery store. Boarding and alighting counts are decent all day, inbound trips primarily drop off riders and outbound trips mostly pick up passengers. Similar to the previous few stops, inbound trips drop off more passengers per trip in the evening than at any other time of day.
• In Benson Hill, Route 160 stops near the intersection of 108th Ave and SE Carr Rd. Both inbound and outbound trips drop off a few passengers on every trip, with a slight increase in inbound morning boarding counts and outbound afternoon alighting counts. This stop is near a shopping center with a grocery store and a few other shops and restaurants. Passengers can transfer at this stop to Route 906.
• Between Carr Rd and 21st St, Route 160 turns west to serve the Valley Medical Center and Talbot Road. The stop closest to the medical center (Talbot Rd S & S Carr Rd) serves a few passengers per trip in both directions. The even ridership all day suggests most passengers who use this stop are patients, not employees of Valley Medical Center.
• At South Renton Park & Ride, inbound trips drop off a few passengers and outbound trips pick up a few passengers. Inbound trips are busiest in the morning and outbound trips are busiest in the afternoon and evening. This P&R has 385 spaces and also serves routes 101, 102, 148, 153.
• Along Rainier Ave, Route 160 serves various big-box shops and grocery stores. Despite the auto-oriented development around these stops, inbound trips drop off a few passengers per stop and outbound trips pick up a few passengers per stop. These stops support transfers to Route 102, F Line, and Sound Transit Route 560.
• Route 160's northern terminus is at the Renton Transit Center. Inbound trips drop off 4-6 passengers per trip. Trips in the morning, mid-day, and afternoon are busier than evening and late night trips. Meanwhile, outbound trips pick up 4-8 passengers per trip. Outbound trips are busiest in the afternoon and evening. Renton Transit Center is conveniently located in downtown Renton near several apartment buildings, shops, and restaurants. Riders can transfer here between Route 160 and routes 101, 105, 106, 107, 148, 240, 153, 907, F Line, and Sound Transit routes 560, 566.

Daily Totals per Stop

The per-trip plots above show strong evening ridership for inbound trips. However, on the daily ridership plot below, evening boarding and alighting counts at most stops are overshadowed by higher mid-day and afternoon ridership. The evening per trip passenger counts are likely inflated as a result of Route 160's lower frequency after 6pm, when it switches from running every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.

Average Route 160 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward Renton Transit Center; Outbound" is toward Auburn Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Looking Ahead

King County Metro is about to start construction on RapidRide improvements for Route 160's corridor. Once complete in 2027, RapidRide I Line will replace Route 160. The upgraded routing will largely remain the same and a few stops will be consolidated. Unlike other recent RapidRide conversions, the I Line upgrades are primarily spot improvements, including transit signal priority, redesigned intersections, and about 2 miles of business access and transit (BAT) lanes. Ryan Packer recently discussed the planned I Line improvements in more detail in The Urbanist.

Sound Transit is currently in the Design and Construction phases of the upcoming Stride S1 Line. When it starts operation in 2028, the S1 Line will be a highway-running BRT line between Burien and Bellevue. Along with this route, a new South Renton Transit Center will be built on the northeast corner of the intersection of S Grady Way and Rainier Ave S. Metro has not shared any restructuring plans for the routes that currently serve Renton TC, though the I Line routing will almost certainly be updated to serve the new transit center.